TV Fans Baffled: 'What Is He Talking About?' After Shocking Claim

A TV star has sparked confusion among fans after claiming 15 years of playing an iconic cartoon character has changed him.

H Jon Benjamin, 59, is an actor, author, and comedian who has played and voiced several popular TV characters over the years, having started his career in the late 80s and early 90s.

The American actor is known for voicing titular character Sterling Archer on the animated spy spoof series, has played several Family Guy characters, and even voiced a can of vegetables in the 2001 comedy Wet Hot American Summer.

Of all the roles he’s had, it’s 15 years of playing titular character Bob Belcher on Bob’s Burgers that he thinks has had a lasting impact.

Bob’s Burgers focuses on the Belcher family , who run the eponymous burger restaurant in the fictional New Jersey shore town of Seymour’s Bay.

Benjamin took on the role of Bob in 2011 alongside John Roberts who plays Bob’s wife Linda, Dan Mintz who plays eldest daughter Tina, Eugene Mirman who plays only son Gene, and Kristen Schaal who voices Louise.

As of 2025, the show has a dedicated international fanbase, having produced almost 300 episodes – something that has apparently changed how he talks.

He told Variety : ‘I was living in Boston doing comedy. I just kept working with [comedian Jonathan Katz] So, he gave me the part of Bob, I said yes, and it hasn’t stopped in years.

‘Whenever you start doing a television show, you feel like it’s gonna get canceled after a season. You do one, and you’re happy to get two, then three…

‘[But] I didn’t sound like this at all 15 years ago. Now I talk like Bob. I’ve become him.’

His comments left fans baffled, with plenty of people insisting he’s ‘always’ sounded very similar across his various voice acting roles.

‘He’s definitely always used the same voice in his career like what is he talking about,’ wrote @DebraBaetty on Reddit.

‘What does he mean? He’s sounded like Archer for over a decade now,’ quipped @Locomotifs, as another user @MikeDubzz suggested: ‘Unless he’s talking more about Bob’s cadence and not so much the voice. I guess I could see that.’

‘I don’t think he’s talking about his voice, just his mannerisms and the way he speaks (if that makes sense),’ agreed @KeyAccurate8647, while @tabaK23 added: ‘I think he’s referring to syntax not diction.’

And @Josh_and_a_half said: ‘You guys….he doesn’t mean he literally sounds more in real life like Bob than he did before. He’s saying the things he says and the ways he says them are more Bob-like.’

Top 10 Bob's Burgers episodes on IMDb

An IMDb rating allows users on the website to give a score out of 10 to either a film they have seen or an episode of TV they have watched. The website then works out the average score.

1. The Plight Before Christmas (season 13, episode 10) 9.6
2. The Hauntening (S6 E3) 9.1
3. The Amazing Rudy (S14 E2) 9.0
4. Glued, Where’s My Bob? (S6 E19) 9.0
5. Amelia (S13 E22) 9.0
6. The Oeder Games (S5 E21) 8.7
7. Bob Day Afternoon (S2 E2) 8.6
8. Housetrap (S5 E19) 8.6
9. Boyz 4 Now (S3 E21) 8.5
10. Bob Actually (S7 E9) 8.5

He later admitted that playing both Bob and Archer on two long-running sitcoms often left him feeling worn out:

‘I’d have a 10am Archer session, then go to Bob’s, and I’d have no voice left,’ he said.

Archer began in 2009 and eventually ran for 14 seasons, finally coming to an end in 2023 after Benjamin had been in more than 140 episodes, alongside actresses Aisha Tyler and the late Jessica Walter.

In Bob’s Burgers, Bob is often shown to be exasperated by his inadequate work-life balance, leading him to sound depressed, tired, and even hoarse in many scenes.

Fans of Bob’s Burgers have noted that while Bob might have changed Benjamin’s voice over the years, the voice actor has also altered Bob’s voice as the years have gone by.

Reddit user OldPomegranate17 said: ‘I detected Bob’s low-energy voice right away [in season 14]. I have two theories: they’re recording remotely or Bob is simply 14 years older and we are hearing a natural change in his voice.’

Bob’s Burgers has been renewed for another four seasons by Disney Plus, which will keep the show going until at least 2029.

Watch episodes of Bob’s Burgers on Disney Plus and Apple TV.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the .co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

Want to get bespoke updates on the TV shows you love? Sign up to 's TV newsletters and tell us which ones you can't get enough of